Where is Harish Rao, these days?

(Online Desk)

Now, it’s clear that the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) Chief Kalvakuntla Chandrasekhara Rao’s grandeur political plans to pave easy passage to his son K T Rama Rao for ‘smooth takeover’ of party reins.

This was evident from the way, the party leadership chose to keep away one of their most powerful and articulate leader T Harish Rao.  Interestingly, Harish Rao is also happens to be one of nephews of the Chief Minister, who had been with the party from all through separate state agitation days to a handsome party’s victory soon after the bifurcation of new Telangana state in 2014 elections.  He was also inducted as minister in KCR’s cabinet in the earlier tenure.

Apparently, his wings were cut to size from flying as Harish Rao was emerging as strong parallel power group leader within the ruling clique.

Sensing the trouble ahead, KCR conveniently, not only ensured to remove the ‘dynasty tag’ to his party government, which was gaining currency among the people, by not inducting his son and nephew in the cabinet, though the party had managed to get overwhelming majority in the assembly elections held couple of months back.

However, he could not restrain from making his son KTR, whom he declared as his true political heir, as the Party’s Working President, creating heart burns to Harish Rao, who many in the party feel, can be rightful successor.

Now, with the party’s decision not to entrust him with any responsibility in next month’s Lok Sabha elections, makes it clear that ‘his’ push to the ‘background’ of party and government affairs is now ‘complete’.

In fact, the TRS has picked as many as 20 prominent leaders to be its star campaigners in 17 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state covering Adilabad (ST), Peddapalli (SC), Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Zaheerabad, Medak, Malkajgiri, Secunderabad, Hyderabad, Chevella, Mahbubnagar, Nagarkurnool (SC), Nalgonda, Bhongir, Warangal (SC), Mahabubabad (ST) and Khammam.

Ostensibly, Harish Rao’s name doesn’t figure in any of the LS constituencies.  Why?

The former minister had played a key role in the Assembly elections held in December last year and saw that the party got maximum seats. He also played an important role in defeating Congress candidate from Kodangal A Revanth Reddy in the last Assembly elections.